Method of forming spring-clips.



PATENTED JUNE 5,

J. B. P." METHOD OF FOR-MUM SPRING CLIPS.

APPLICATION IILjg-il APR. 21. 1905.

UNITED I STATES JOSHUA B. HALE, or PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, .ASSreNoR, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO RING PAPER our COMPANY, or PROVI- DENGE, nHonE ISLAND, A oonPoRArioN or RHODE ISLAND.

METHOD OF FORMING SPFllNG-CHPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 21, 1905. 1 Serial No. 256,807.

' of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method of Formin Spring- Clips and I do hereby declare that t efollow'-' ing isafull, clear, and exact description there' of, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part'of this specification.

This invention relates to a new method or rocess of makin spring wire clips, and has For its object 'to facilitate the roduction of such clips in forming the same by a continuous rotary process. To produce these clips by my improved method, the wire is wound continuously on a rotating arbor and formed into a series of coils around the same. This arbor is provided with a longitudinal-anvil or rib extending the length of its Winding-surface and over which. ribthe wire is laid in coils. Suitably-formed rotatable dies are arranged to coact with this rib to press the wire into the desired form over said r1b,thereby producing an eXtendin ear on each coil.

The winding is preferab y begun at the inner or shouldered end of the winding portion of the arbor, and the coils as'they are wound thereon are automatically forced to move or slide longitudinally toward the free end of the arbor as eachfresh coil'of wire is laid upon it. The wire of every second coil is then out automatically at a predetermined point in the coil, after which the finished clips are forced off the end of the arbor to dro into the boxes ready for shipment; As the chps drop from the arbor the recoil of the wire instant y separates the ears or projections which were formed on each of the two coils over the said rib, so that they spring a art out of alinement one with the other, t' ereby jointly providing between them an entering mouth or s ace opening outwardly from one side of the ame.

The invention is fully set forth in this specification and more particularly pointed out in the'ap ended claims.

In tli represents an en view of'the arbor on which the clips are formed, the die-plate, and the a clip havingl e accom anying drawings, Figure 1 cutterin the act of cuttin off one oi'the coils.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation i lustrating the manner in which the wire is wound on the arbor, also she wing the cutter in the act of shearing one of the coils. Fig. 3 illustrates the die forming a projection on one of the coils over the rib or anvil;

Iratenteol. June 5,1906. i

i Fig. 4 illustrates a portion of the arbor on which the coils are wound and also the cam that automatically'feeds or slips the coils When formed toward the free end of the arbor. Fig. ,5 illustrates the firststep in the process, which is that of starting the wire to wind on the mandrel and showing the end of the wire hooked over the anvil. Fig. 6 illustrates the rotary die bending in or forming the projections over the anvil. Fig. -7 illustrates the presser that maybe made to roll down onto the back of the coils to form a straight bridge portion thereon when desired.

the wires of the coil after the 881116 has been formed into a clip over the arbor. This figure also illustrates one-half of the die-plate'as being corrugated to corres 0nd to corrugations also formed in the ar or for forming a clip like that shown in Fig. 12. Fig. 9 shows superimposed coils. Fig. 10 shows a clip aving its two ends laid within and adjacent to the outer coils. Fig. 11

shows a sectional viewtaken on line 11 11 of Fig. 10, illustrating the ends of the coil as set back within the circle and in a line with the outside coil. Fig. 12 shows a clip with one plain and one corru 'ated coil, which con' struction may be. To need by a suitablecorrugated arbor and die-plate.

' Referring to the drawings, at 1 is the arbor upon which the wire 2 is wound. This arbor may be formed by turning down the end of the driving-shaft 3, or it may be made separate and inserted into the end of the same. At 4 is a collar fixed to the, frame of the machine, said collar forming a shoulderv against which to wind the wire, as shown in Figs. 2 and4. This arbor is cut away at 5, so that the wire may bend in when the cutter shears one of the coils. A very important feature in the construction of this arbor isthe anvil or rib 6 that extends longitudinally along the length same. 7 The wire is wound directly over this.

of the Winding-surface of the Fig. 8 illustrates the cutter severing one of 1 crimped or corrugated coil, as shown in Fig. 1 2.

- Wire in two.

' over by a rotatable die.

anvil and pressed into the desired form there: (See Fig. 3.) I do not Wish to confine myself to an arbor having a single rib or anvil, as any number of ribs may be placed on the arbor, thereby forming with coacting dies rings with a plurality of v indentations orprojections, as illustrated in Fig. 12. These dies are formed by cutting away the plate 8 on its two opposite edges, as at 7 7. (See Fig; 1.) This plate is equal in thickness to about the diameter of the wire,.

a point.dia-metrically opposite the point of the projection 9. These coils are cut by the blade 10, which blade is held to reciprocate in the rotatable plate 12 on thecutter-plate 1 1'.

The relative speed of the arbor 1 to that .of the die-plate 8 may be set so as to out every coil or skip any number of coils, forming a sirilgle ring or rings composed of a plurality of co s. depressions equal to the number of coils formed. As the die-plate travels one-half the speed of the arbor one half the circumference of said die-plate may-be made on a greater radius than the opposite half, thereby forcin one coil of the wire down harder onto 'the ar or than the next succeeding coil, with *the resultthat the coils may vary alternately in their diameters, or one-half of the circumference of said die-plate may be corrugated, said corrugations coacting with corresponding corrugations on the arbor (seejFig. 8) to form a clip with an alternately plain and a The sliding cutterin the cutter-plate 11 is pressed downward by the presser-cam 13 coming in contact with the opposite end of said plate, as shown in Fig. 1, and shears the When itis desired to forma straight bridge 14 on the clip, the arbor 1 is flattened ofl at 15, and the end 16 of the cutter-plate is forced down ontov the wire at that point, as illustrated in Fig. 7, forming a straight bridge portion 14 on the clip. This bridge portion is an essential feature in the construction of. the clip, as it greatly increases the set or grip of the same' The opening space 18 between the points 9 9 may be controlled to some extent by the shape of the-arbor at this point and the amount-of pressure brought to bear upon the wire here.

.This may also change the form of the clip somewhat from a superimposed coil, as shown in Fig. 9, to the form where the ends are laid Within the coil, as illustrated in Fig. 10. The

Said die-plate may be provided with utility of the product.

. change in this form may also be further controlled by regulating the tension of the wire at 21 as it is wound on the arbor.

Another feature of this process that per- .mits of the clips being formed continuously and rapidly is the little semicircular stationary cam 17 preferably held on the face of the collar 4, (see Fig. 4,) which cam engages each coil separately as it is wound upon the arbor and causes all the coils to slide continuously toward the end of the arbor as fast as the wire is wound thereon at the shoulder.

The method or process by'which these clips are formed may be furtherdescribed as follows: A coil of wireis firstplaced on a reel (not shown) to be drawn therefrom by the turning-arbor. The end of the wire is passed up through an adjustable guide 19 and hooked over the anvil, as shown at 20in Fig.

5. The arbor is then rotated and the wire 1 wound continuously and automatically into a succession of coils thereon. As fast as the wire is wound onto the arbor at the shoulder" end thereof it-is forced to move or slide along by being wound overthe anvil the arbor,

which projections are formed into the desired.

coil may be bent inward from the circle or straightened for a short distance on its back to form a chord or bridge portion to increase the set or grip of the clip. When it is-desired toproduce a clip having twocoils, every other coil is then sheared or cut'automatic'ally, and as the clips are forced ofi the end of the arbor the points or projections 9 9 spring apart out of alinement one with the other,therebyproviding between them an entering mouth or shape by dies in the rotating plate 8. Every space opening outwardly from one side of the frame, and the clips drop finished in a box,-

ready forshipment.

The expense of manufacturing these clips is by this rotary process reduced to the-mini- I mum, as a small and inexpensive machme may be made to'produce clips of this form much more rapidly than wbuld be possible by any reciprocating process. The construction of the clip also admits of its being made of the lightest wire and by this particular method of bending produces the maximum gripping power. I

he ease and great rapidity wlth which these clips are thus manufactured proves the practicability. of the superior method by which they areproduced, vand the effectiveness of the clip itself proves the practical My invention is not restricted to the exact details of forming the clip as herein shown and described nor to the exact construction of the mechanism em loyed in forming the same, as the shape or OIIl'lof the clip, as well as the manner of winding the wire, may be modified or the mechanism for winding the same rearranged in various particulars without departing from the spirit and scopeof my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. The method of forming spring wire clips which consists in winding wire into an approyimately circular spring-coil and simulta- 1 neously bending each turn of the coil to forin tating arbor providedwith a longitu a projection extending beyond the circumferential plane of the body of the coil, and

periodically severing a turn of the coil, whereby the nncoiling action oi the severed portion of the coil will cause a separation of the said projections,

2. flhe method oi forming springwire clips which consists in winding wire upon an approximately circular rotating arbor to form a spring-coil, and s' .ultaneously bending each turn of the coil to form an angular portion. projecting beyond the circumferential plane otthe body of "the coil, and periodically'severing a turn of the coil, whereby the uncoiling' vii or rib to {form an approximate? spring-coil, the turns of which are provided vwith an an ular portion roiectin be 0nd the circumferential plane of the body of the coil, and finally severing a turn of said cell at periodical lllllQIVfllS, whereby the uncoiling action of the severed part will cause a separation of the angular portionsof said severed part.

5. The method of forming sprrng-cl1ps which consists in winding wire into an approximately circular spring-coil and providmg each turn of said coil with an ear or projection extending beyond the circumferential plane of the body of said coil, and severing a turn of said coil at periodical intervals, whereby the uncoiling action of the severed part will cause a separation of the ears or projections of said severed part.

6. The method of forming spring wire clips which consists in winding wire into a springcoil, simultaneously bending each turn to form an angular portion offset from the body portion of the strand, and periodically severing a turn of saidcoil at a point opposite said angular portions, whereby the uncoiling action of the severed part will cause a separation of the angular portion of said severed part.

7. The method of forming spring Wire clips which consists in winding wire upon a rotating arbor to form a spring-coil, bending each turn of the coil to form an angular member offset from the body of the coil, and periodic ally severing a turn of said coil at a point opposite said angular members, whereby the uncoiling action of the severed part will cause a separation of the angular members of said severed part, i

The method oi form ng spring wire clips which consists in winding wire into a spring coil, simultaneously bending each turn to loran a plurality of alined angular members offset from the body of the coil, and finally severing every other turn of the coil at a point opposite said angular members, whereby the uncoiling action of the severed part will cause a separation of the angular members of said severed part.

9. The method of forming spring-clips which consists in winding wire into a springcoil, simultaneously bending each turn to form. a plurality of alined angular members GfiSGi) from the body of said coil and pressing in or straightening a portion of each turn of the coil, and finally severing every other turn of the COll, whereby the uncoiling action of the severed part will cause a separation. of the angular ineinberso'f said severed part.

10. The method oi forming spring-clips which consists in winding wire into a springcoil and bending the turns thereof to form a longitudinal rib made up of a plurality of alined ears or projections offset from .the body of said coil, and severing a turn of said coil at periodical intervals, whereby the uncoiling action of the severed part willcause a separation of the ears or projections of the severed part.

In testimony whereof have hereuntoset my hand this 7th day of April, A. D. 1905.

' i JOSHUA B. HALE.

In presence of- HowARn E. Banrow, E, G's-nan, 

